a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices and methods for remanufacturing printer cartridge components, and, in particular, to devices and methods for remanufacturing laser printer cartridge components by remanufacturing used organic photoconductor (OPC) flange portions of assembled OPC drum flanges and attaching or assembling such used OPC flange portions to replacement OPC drum cylinder portions.
b. Background Art
Printer cartridges, such as toner cartridges, are used in various electrophotographic imaging devices, such as laser printers, copiers, facsimile machines, and multifunction imaging devices. Once original equipment manufacturer (OEM) printer cartridges are used, they are often recycled and remanufactured. The process of remanufacturing a printer cartridge may include cleaning the cartridge, repairing damaged parts, replacing worn parts, reassembling with new parts, and replenishing the cartridge with toner. The process of remanufacturing a printer cartridge requires that the printer cartridge be disassembled so that access to the various parts can be achieved, and further requires that the printer cartridge be reassembled for subsequent use.
Printer cartridges typically include organic photoconductive drums that may be designed to be electrically charged to be able to attract toner. An assembled OPC drum typically comprises a cylinder portion and a drum gear assembly. For example, the drum gear assembly may comprise a drum drive gear attached to an end of the cylinder portion of the OPC drum, and may comprise a drive axle attached to the drum drive gear. The drive axle is configured for attachment to the printer to drive the rotation of the OPC drum during use. The drum drive gear may be inserted into one end of the cylinder portion and may be attached to that end of the cylinder portion with an adhesive or glue and/or a known attachment or assembly process. The OPC drum cylinder portion and/or drum drive gear may wear out from use at a faster rate than the drive axle and one or both may need to be replaced during remanufacturing, while the drive axle may be reused if it is not damaged. However, the drive axle may be attached to the drum drive gear in a manner that makes the drive axle difficult to remove from the drum drive gear, and when removal of the drive axle from the drum drive gear is attempted, such removal may cause damage to the drive axle, so that the drive axle could not be reused. For example, such known assembled OPC drums with attached drum gear assemblies for laser printer applications may include a lock on the drive axle or drum drive gear that helps to hold the drive axle in place and/or that locks the drum drive gear to the OPC drum cylinder portion.
During remanufacturing of such known drive axles attached to known drum drive gears of OPC drums, known hand tools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, spring hooks, and scraping tools, may be typically used to pry off and separate the drive axle from the drum drive gear and/or may be used to push out and remove the drive axle from the drum drive gear in order to remove the drive axle from the drum drive gear attached to the OPC drum cylinder portion. However, if not used carefully and properly, such known hand tools may damage the drive axle. In particular, damage to the drive axle, such as damage to the portions of the drive axle that contact the printer, may affect or prevent reuse and remanufacturing of the used drive axle with a replacement drum drive gear and/or OPC drum cylinder portion.
It is thus desirable to be able to remove and replace the used drive axle on a used drum drive gear attached to a used OPC drum without damaging the used drive axle. This helps preserve the appearance of the used drive axle and the ability to reuse and reassemble the used drive axle, and minimizes remanufacturing steps. Devices and methods for efficiently and quickly removing a used drive axle from a used drum drive gear and attached OPC drum cylinder portion, and reusing the used drive axle with a replacement or new drum drive gear and/or replacement or new OPC drum cylinder portion are desired.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device and method for remanufacturing printer cartridge components, including reusing used drive axles of disassembled drum gear assemblies and attaching or assembling such used drive axles to replacement drum drive gears and/or OPC drum cylinder portions, that overcomes the issues associated with known devices and methods.